The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Lagerstroemia indica. The new Lagerstroemia will hereafter be referred to by its cultivar name, ‘18LI’. ‘18LI’ is a new cultivar of crape myrtle grown for use as an ornamental landscape plant.
The new cultivar of Lagerstroemia is the result of a controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Grande Saline, Tex. The objective of the breeding program is the develop new cultivars of crape myrtle that are pathogen resistant, have dark red pigmented foliage, have unique flower color, and that possess desirable production traits.
‘18LI’ originated as a seedling that arose from seeds sown from open pollination of Lagerstroemia indica ‘Blush’ (not patented) as the female parent in September of 2012. ‘18LI’ was selected as a single unique plant in July of 2013 from amongst the resulting seedlings.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by the Inventor using semi mature softwood stem cuttings in August of 2013 in Grand Saline, Tex. Asexual propagation by semi mature softwood stem has determined that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.